A partnership between Miami-Dade County’s Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department and the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) received the People’s Choice Award for Best Project during the Safe Streets Award ceremony for the Safe Routes to Park initiative, a Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) SMART STEP project in Miami-Dade County. The Safe Streets Awards highlight individuals and jurisdictions that lead by example in creating better streets for all users.
SMART STEP (Street Transportation Enhancements Program) was created by the Miami-Dade TPO’s Urban Mobility & Non-Urban Core Task Forces, established by TPO Chairman Oliver G. Gilbert III, under the guidance of Executive Director Aileen Bouclé to facilitate interagency coordination, innovation, and accelerated implementation of pedestrian and bicycle improvement projects that increase connectivity and enhance safety.
Miami-Dade Parks’ Safe Route to Parks initiative is part of the Parks and Open Space Master Plan goal of more equitable access to parks for everyone. The project prioritizes and enhances pedestrian mobility along West 74th Place, connecting community residents in a neighborhood with a large senior citizen population to Amelia Earhart Park. Enhancements include tree-lined walkways and benches. This project was completed under the leadership of Maria Nardi, Director of Miami-Dade Parks, in partnership with Eulois Cleckley, Executive Director & CEO of DTPW, with the support of Miami-Dade TPO Executive Director Aileen Bouclé.
Over three hundred Summit attendees from across the region, including Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, voted to select the Safe Routes to Parks initiative as winner of the People’s Choice Award for Best Complete Streets Project. The theme for the 2022 Safe Streets Summit was Resilient and Adaptive Streets, focused on collaborations to build a regional vision of a safe, equitable multimodal transportation system that adapts to community needs now and for the future.
Director Nardi said, “We want to thank the Safe Streets Summit attendees for the recognition. This award recognizes Miami-Dade County Parks’ Safe Route to Parks initiative as part of the Miami-Dade County Parks and Open Space Master Plan’s vision of increased walkability and more equitable access to parks and recreational amenities for all residents. It’s a sidewalk connectivity project developed as an innovative solution for park design, which advances our mission of building a resilient and sustainable parks system for this community.”
Miami-Dade TPO Chairman Gilbert said, “The collaboration between the Parks and DTPW departments on this SMART STEP project proves that working together on one common goal is doable. These departments have been recognized for what they do best – providing safe mobility solutions for our community.”
Executive Director Bouclé stated, “The Miami-Dade TPO is proud to have partners such as Miami-Dade County Parks and DTPW to ensure that this SMART STEP project was implemented to increase connectivity and enhance safety for the neighboring elderly population.”
